If you’ve been following along for awhile, you probably noticed that my posts from this summer seemed much less anxious than say they did in March. There’s a reason for that, and it’s likely not improvement.

My anxiety is seasonal.

Spring and summer are like small vacations where my mind is quiet, or well, quieter. I feel motivated and healthy. Strong and social. Then cold weather hits, and I hibernate in a blanket of my own worries.

I can already feel it creeping in. For example, last weekend while shopping with Auggie, I thought to myself, “Here before too long, I’ll need to do this shopping without him. Or at the very least, not let him touch the cart.”

That will then spiral into washing my hands until they bleed and showering when arriving back from “germ-y” places, which to me is the grocery store.

In preparation for a return of my anxiety, I identified what I think makes my warm months less anxious and then tried to come up with solutions for how to continue to use these habits in the cold months:

Sunshine

Something about feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin is an instant mood-lifter. In the summer, it’s easy to step outside for a few minutes a day. I found that I would either workout outside while Auggie napped or we’d take a walk in the mornings and listen as the birds chirp. (Sometimes, Auggie would suggest we chase them instead. I typically obliged.)

In the fall and winter, things are a bit more challenging. First off, there’s not a whole lot of sun to go around, and when there is, it’s so cold, you don’t care to go stand in it’s rays.

Bryson thinks I’m crazy for several reasons, but one of which being that I love to sit in a hot car when the sun is beaming down on the windshield. I’m hoping that I can get a similar mood-lift through my Explorer’s window. Ideally, I’ll arrive at work 5-10 minutes early to enjoy the warmth undisturbed. Although, punctuality isn’t one of my strong suits.

Exercise

Exercise has always been my biggest relief, even when I was younger. Honestly, I kind of gave up on myself after having Auggie for a short while, (You can read more here.) which likely only made my anxiety worse. In the early spring of this year, I began to pick it up. As in, at least 30 minutes a day, every day, and it’s made a world of difference.

You wouldn’t think this would be hard to continue considering how long I’ve done it consistently now, but you’d be wrong. Fall to me is heavy blankets, snuggled up on the couch with a plate full of pie. It’s not sweating in the middle of the living room listening to Shaun T rhyme out his exercise moves.

BeachBody comes out with a new program called Liift4 in October, which I’m super excited to try. I hope this, along with giving personal health updates each Monday, will motivate me to keep moving and hold me accountable.. even when warm blankets are calling my name.

Illness

One of my biggest hurdles in the colder months is illness. After all, this is primarily what my anxiety always revolves around. Being sick yourself is one thing, but having a sick kiddo is a whole other level of anxiety and exhaustion, leading to more anxiety.

Unfortunately, this isn’t something I have much control over. People are still going to get sick. I can help to keep my family from getting sick by practical sanitation, but locking Auggie up all winter is becoming less of an option now that he’s older.

Honestly, I haven’t thought of a great way to mitigate the anxiety I feel around sickness, so I’d be happy to hear if you have any thoughts or suggestions in the comment below. Is this something you too have to deal with as a mom? What’s your coping strategy for the anxiety and the long nights?

I will likely continue to use our Owlet until I can’t squeeze Auggie’s foot into it any longer in the meantime.

Side Note: If you have a baby and you don’t have one of these things yet, use this link and order it now! It is an investment, but it’s an investment that I promise you won’t regret. Feel free to use the Contact Me page if you have questions about why I’m so passionate about Owlet.

Food

Food has a really big impact on my emotions and mental health. In the summer, we gather our produce from the farmer’s market every week. We’re a part of a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, which encourages me to incorporate vegetables into all our meals.

In the fall, and especially in the winter, vegetables aren’t exactly at my finger tips, and they’re not very appealing when I’m ordering groceries online. Also, other than sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, fall to me is heavy meals, pumpkin everything, and sugar-filled coffee. It’s not grilled chicken, fresh salad, and fruit.

Starting Sept. 1, I’ll be using the MyFitnessPal app to track my meals, so I can be sure I’m still providing my body with the nutrition it needs to produce happy thoughts.

Social Endeavors

Okay, let’s be real. I’m never very good at social endeavors, but I get a little bit better in the summer. For some reason, I’m more willing to venture out of the house. Maybe it has something to do with the length of the days, my constant desire for ice cream, or the welcoming impact summer tends to have.

Regardless, I’m a recluse in the fall and winter. Give me a cozy place to sit, a dessert to munch on, and Netflix, and I’ll be there until spring.

Auggie is not like me in that sense. He got his dad’s extrovert personality.

For Auggie’s sake, I’ve actually been working on my own toddler curriculum. This way I can guarantee Auggie’s being stimulated and we leave the house at least every once in awhile. Something tells me he’s going to love it!

Here’s a sneak peak of what we’ll be doing in September if you have a toddler and want to play along with us. I’d be happy to share more of our monthly curriculum or collaborate with you. Auggie loves to stay busy!

I’ll likely have another update with photos of Auggie and I working through the curriculum at a later date that I will link here. I’ll also talk through what worked, what could have gone better, and what I’ll change for next year.

Fall Aspirations

We were able to do so much this summer because my anxiety was well managed. We traveled to Denver, we played in the dirt, we fell down and had scraps on our knees, we had bomb-fires and got covered in bug bites, we had play-dates with friends, we took trips to Oceans of Fun, Worlds of Fun, and the Kansas City Zoo..

I can’t afford to compromise the growth, development, and happiness of Auggie during the cold months by asking him to hibernate.

I’m counting on the steps I’ve already taken, and hope to continue, to mitigate my seasonal anxiety, and I’m counting on you to hold me accountable!